Chapter Six #2
“Weapons? Every black ops agent worth his or her salt has a stash of weapons at home for protection and to have options on missions.”
“Office.” Riley led him down the hall to the last room on the right and walked inside.
She shook her head, glaring at the mess strewn everywhere in her bedroom. “This will take forever to clean up. I don’t understand. Why do this?”
“They’re after something.”
“What?”
“That’s what we need to figure out.” Andre used his elbow to turn on the closet light. He scanned the interior and plucked another duffel bag from the pile of debris on the floor of the closet, then handed it to her. “Here. Pack what you can. We’ll pick up the rest as you need it.”
“Right.” Riley grabbed clothes and underthings from the piles around the room.
“Unbelievable. Not only did they dump everything from the drawers, they mixed up the piles so I’ll have to sort, then wash, fold, and put away.
” She shuddered. “I’m tempted to toss all of my clothes and buy new ones.
This feels like too much of a violation to tolerate.
” Riley’s hands fisted around the clothes she’d picked up.
“Strangers touched my stuff. I don’t know if I can get past that to enjoy wearing the clothes again. ”
“Let’s wait until the crime scene team finishes processing your house, then gather up your clothes and launder them at my house. If you still feel the same way, give the clothes to a charity and buy what you need.”
She studied him for a minute. “It doesn’t bother you I want to ditch all these perfectly good clothes?”
He shrugged. “Makes sense to me. Besides, if you’re uncomfortable wearing them because a stranger touched them, you’ll be distracted and let down your guard. I don’t want that.”
“Thank you.”
Andre bent and brushed her mouth with his. “I will always have your back, Riley, even in buying a new wardrobe.”
Another male voice from the front of the house sent Riley hustling into the bathroom to pack what she needed from there. She returned a minute later. “Done.”
“Good. Have you noticed anything missing here?”
“Nope. Let’s go to my office before the crime scene people kick us out.”
They crossed the hall to the room with a large table and one rolling chair. Chords attached to nothing littered the table and floor. Must be Riley’s workstation. She also had a desk pushed up against the far wall with another rolling chair behind it.
Riley covered her hand with the hem of her shirt and opened all the desk drawers, glancing at the contents before going on to the next one. When she closed the last drawer, she said, “Nothing’s missing except the computers.”
“Check your weapons safe. If they got past your security system, they might have broken through the security there too.”
“You’re right.” Riley hurried to the bookcase on the other side of the room. She stretched to reach a copy of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. After she pushed the volume further into the bookcase, Riley stepped back.
The bookcase slid to the left, revealing a blank wall. She pressed the right side, and the false wall slid to the right. After entering two sets of passcodes, Riley opened the safe. “All present and accounted for.” She added more weapons to her duffel bag, then closed and reset the locks.
Brent came to the door. “Time to go. The crime scene team is ready to get to work, and they want you gone before they start.”
“Yes, sir. We’re ready.” Andre picked up Riley’s duffel bag and slid it over his shoulder.
“Safe house. Yes or no, Riley?”
“Yes.”
Andre turned. “You could stay with me.”
“I don’t want to bring trouble to your doorstep. For safety, I’d rather go to a safe house. If they track me down there, at least it’s not your home.”
Made sense. Andre didn’t like it, though. He wanted Riley in his home, in a place he knew like the back of his hand.
“You need a security team,” Brent folded his arms across his chest. “No arguments. Choose now.”
“Andre, Elias, and Iona.”
Thank goodness. No matter what happened, Andre wasn’t leaving her to deal with this alone. He meant what he had said earlier. He had her back. Always.
“Andre is on medical leave.”
“That’s why I asked for Elias and Iona. Without his injury, I would have requested Andre and Elias. They could handle security without Iona. With Elias and Iona along, Andre will rest and recuperate.”
Brent pulled out his phone and sent a message.
“I just sent both of you the address of the safe house. Have Elias and Iona meet you there. If you need anything, ask. We’ll make sure you have what you need.
Report every four hours. Zane will be your tech and communication support since he’s already invested in what’s happening. ”
“Thank you, sir.” Andre escorted Riley from the office and through the living room where the crime scene team was gearing up to start work. Riley grabbed her Go bag and slipped it over her shoulder as she walked from the house.
On the porch, Riley glanced at him. “Talk about having strangers touch my things.”
“At least they’re the good guys.”
“True.” She sighed. “Time for me to quit complaining. I know some of the crime scene team, and they’re careful in how they handle items.”
Andre took Riley’s Go bag, unlocked the SUV, and stored her bags in the cargo area with his own gear. He climbed behind the wheel, cranked the engine, entered the address of the safe house into the navigation system, and drove away from Riley’s home, now lit up in every room.
He called Elias. “I need a favor.”
“Name it.”
“I need you and Iona to help me with Riley’s security. Someone broke into her house while we were gone.”
“Oh, man. Address?”
He rattled off the address of the safe house. “We’ll meet you there.”
“Watch your back, Andre. Don’t know what’s going on, but someone wants your woman.”
His woman. Andre liked the sound of that. Didn’t know if Riley appreciated the moniker, though. “I will. See you soon.” He ended the call and made a second call, this one to Iona. Once he explained what they needed, she agreed immediately.
“Thanks for helping, Iona,” Riley said.
“We have each other’s backs, Riley. No thanks needed. If you need us, we’re there. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She ended the call.
Concerned about the possibility of having a tail, Andre drove squares for a while until he was sure no one followed them from Riley’s home. When he saw a coffee shop still open, he turned into the drive-thru. “I need coffee. Would you like anything?”
“Hot chocolate.”
Comfort drink. He had thought about that after they met, but wasn’t sure if she preferred coffee, tea or hot chocolate when she wanted something for comfort. Now he knew her preference, adding it to the list of things he’d learned about Riley Sloan. “You’ve got it.”
Andre placed their orders for drinks and added orange cranberry scones and apple cinnamon muffins.
“A little hungry?” Riley teased.
“Starving.”
“I should have known. You and the rest of Echo unit must have hollow legs judging by the amount of food you put away.”
“Blame Seth. He runs us ragged during training sessions.”
She chuckled. “He must be kin to Iona. She’s just as bad.”
Once their orders were ready, Andre handed Riley the hot chocolate and the scones and muffins.
“Muffin or scone?”
“Either. Surprise me.”
She handed him a muffin. “Try that. I’ll try the scone. I love orange cranberry anything.”
“Good to know. I’ll add that to my list of Riley’s favorite things.”
Silence, then, “You’re keeping a list of things I like?”
“You bet I am.”
“Why?”
“It’s all part of my campaign to win your heart.”
More silence. “Are you serious?”
Before he could answer, his phone signaled an incoming call. “Marsh.”
“It’s Zane. We have a problem.”